I don't get the big deal behind retina. When I got my iPad 3 on launch day I was extremely underwhelmed. A trip to my local apple store to compare left me even more underwhelmed. Everyone was expecting a jump from 3g/3gs to iPhone 4. It wasn't NEARLY that. On top of that, I was expecting iPad 1/2 battery performance, which it also wasn't. I'm wondering how those of you who claim to "need" retina fare with your old macbooks. I don't know anyone with a retina macbook (mostly since it's pointless) yet so many of you claim that you could never "downgrade" to the iPad mini.
I'm quoting this post, but I could have quoted from many similar ones. Why is it so difficult to understand that people have different perceptions and preferences? That goes for both sides: the "Nobody really needs Retina because the non-Retina display is good enough" side and the "People who say the non-Retina display is good enough are simply justifying an impulse purchase they made" side.
I have an iPad 1, which I was very happy with. When the iPad 3 came out, I thought the Retina display was nice, but not nice enough for me to shell out the cash to buy one. My iPad 1 was crashing a lot, but I figured I could hold out until the iPad 4. The 4 arrived sooner than I expected, and my iPad 1 was crashing even more than it did in April, so I went to the store to check out the 4 and the Mini. I love the form factor of the Mini, but for much of what I do looking at photos and reading magazines the Retina display is better. So I bought an iPad 4, and I'm glad I did. When I go back to my iPad 1, the screen looks pretty bad. It's the same screen that looked pretty good to me when I bought it, but now that I'm used to the Retina, my perception has changed. That's why I won't consider an iPad Mini until it gets a Retina display. But I don't think you're wrong for thinking that the Mini's display is fine for you.
Does anyone "need" a Retina iPad? With the exception of professional photographers or other people who use it to show off their work and thus make money from it, of course not. But does anyone "need" a non-Retina iPad 2 or Mini? Again, except for those who have to use it for business, no. For most of us, it's a luxury. I love my iPad 4. I use it every day. I use it more than I do my aging MacBook Pro, because the iPad is more convenient for reading, Web browsing, checking email, etc. But if all iPads suddenly disappeared from the planet, I could go back to my MBP.
If the Retina display is important to you, then buy an iPad 4, as I did. If it isn't, then buy an iPad 2 or a Mini. If you want a Retina Mini, then buy one when Apple releases one. If you want a Mini now, and can live with the non-Retina version, then buy it, use it, and sell it when the Retina version comes out. But why do so many people, whatever their opinion is, feel compelled to tell people with differing opinions that they're "wrong"?
I'm also equally amused and irritated by the debate over whether Apple could have released a Retina iPad Mini this year. Having been trained as an engineer, I trust Anandtech's reasoned explanation of why a Retina iPad Mini with the current size, weight, and battery life isn't technologically possible now, and probably won't be for a couple more years, more than I trust the emotionally based "Apple is a greedy corporattion that could have released a Retina Mini but just wanted to milk all the money it could from Apple fanboys!" crowd.
Okay, end of rant. I feel better now. Back to work...